Disgraced ex-Miami commissioner who was convicted of accepting bribes during corruption scandal 'shot dead by his wife during row' in their bungalow

A disgraced former Miami commissioner who spent 21 months in federal prison for his part in a corruption scandal has been found dead in his home, and his wife has been charged with his murder.

Mrs Burke called 911 on Saturday afternoon saying she was having difficulty breathing, according to multiple reports. When paramedics arrived, she was sitting on a couch and pointed them to a locked room

The body of James 'Jimmie' C. Burke's, who was convicted of accepting bribes in the 1990s, was discovered in the bungalow in Waycross, Georgia, he shared with Sonia Burke, 58, on Saturday.
Mrs Burke called 911 on Saturday afternoon saying she was having difficulty breathing, according to multiple reports.

When paramedics arrived, she was sitting on a couch and pointed them to a locked room.
They then found Mr Burke, 68, on the bed with gunshot wounds. Waycross Police Chief Tony Tanner said there had been a 'domestic dispute'.
Mrs Burke was then arrested and taken to hospital to be treated for a possible overdose, according to News 4 Jax. 

Mr Burke had been married seven times and had six children.

Burke was first elected Miami-Dade County Commission in 1993 and served in the House of Representatives before becoming a commissioner.
He was caught in a public corruption scandal that rocked Miami in the late 1990s, but always maintained he didn't do anything wrong. 

The politician was charged with bribery and money laundering and removed from office after he was caught on tape accepting a bribe.
After he was sentenced, he told the court: 'I believe God has something planned for me. I know I’ve lost the trust of the people I represented.

Disgraced former Miami commissioner James 'Jimmie' Burke, who was convicted of accepting bribes in the 1990s, was found dead in the bungalow in Waycross, Georgia, he shared with wife Sonia Burke, 58. She has since been arrested and charged with his murder

Disgraced former Miami commissioner James 'Jimmie' Burke, who was convicted of accepting bribes in the 1990s, was found dead in the bungalow in Waycross, Georgia, he shared with wife Sonia Burke, 58. She has since been arrested and charged with his murder

'I lost the respect of people who watched me through over 20 years of public service. I’m not blaming anyone else.
'I’m here because of what I did and I don’t want anyone else to think anyone did anything to me . . . I sincerely regret my part in the events that brought us here today.'

A judge sentenced him to 27 months behind bars, but he was freed after serving 21.

Burke, who had six children, was married seven times. He married Sonia Burke in 2014, according to her Facebook page.

On September 28, 2014, she posted: 'I married a most amazing man. He appeared suddenly, stated his case and swept me off of my feet. We are two parts of one and I love him very much.'
Burke had been living in Waycross, where he was born and raised, since 2007. According to the Miami Herald he had spent some time editing a community newspaper.



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